Just Let Him Go
by SadisticWoof
Summary: Four years later, they met in a café. Sitting in front of him, she knew she had never gotten over him. He was the kind of person you couldn't forget. How can you let someone go when you still love them? But they always worked it out in the end, didn't they? All rights go to Rick Riordan.


**Just Let Him Go**

Snow was falling. It wasn't a storm, but it was a gentle falling of white fluff, covering the streets of New York. It would have been pretty, if she had paid attention to the scenery. Instead, the twenty-three year old was sitting in the chair, staring at the cooling cup of coffee.

A soft ringing of bells alerted her of a new customer. She took a sip.

"Hey." A voice said quietly behind her. She turned, placing her cup back onto the table.

"Hello." She said looking up at the newcomer. Her eyes widened a fraction in recognition. Her jaw almost fell open at the sight of him. She unconsciously smoothed her hair down and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I figured it was you." He said with a shrug. She couldn't form words since she was still processing that he was actually _here_.

"W-What are you doing here?" She cursed herself for letting her voice squeak.

"I… I was just passing by. I saw you through the window." He said.

"Oh…" Came her brilliant answer.

"You mind if I join you?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head. His hair was messy as ever. He wore a thick jacket with a clean white shirt underneath and a pair of black pants.

She blinked and blushed, "O-Of course not! Here." She moved her books to the other side of the table, allowing room.

He sat down. Silence. He was analysing her. She swallowed. That was her job. He was guarded as well. She could tell since his hands were in his pockets. He only had his hands in his pockets when he felt threatened or he was worried, or skeptical. Riptide was there, just in case, of course. He's probably remembering the last time they saw each other. He's remembering the roses he brought her. The ones she left at the door to die.

He coughed and broke the awkward silence. "Um, how are you?"

"I'm good. The weather is getting colder." She replied.

"I noticed. You never did like winter, did you."

"Not really."She was horrible at small talk. She gazed out the window, watching the snow settle on the sidewalk.

"So, uh, how's work?" He tried again, shifting in his chair.

"It's great. I've been really busy. I'm currently designing a temple to be built at Camp, actually. I've always wanted to, and I think it's time, don't you think?"

"After all these years, I still never understood your love for architecture." He said with a wry grin.

She huffed but hid a smile. She certainly missed their banter. It let her take her mind of the pressing matters and the stress. What happened to drive each other apart?

"What about you?" She fixed her grey scarf around her neck and reached for her cup again.

"Me? I've been doing volunteering at a marine rescue organisation as well as working as a trainer at Camp, but I guess you already know that, don't ya, Wise Girl?"

She choked. _Wise Girl_. How long has it been since she heard that phrase? Four years now? She took controlled breaths to calm her beating heart. She missed those words.

No.

She had missed _him_.

He leaned over and patted her back. "You alright?"

"I-I'm fine… Percy." Her voice didn't waver, much to her relief. "Did you say Camp?"

"Oh, yeah. I train campers with sword fighting while she does spear. It's pretty fun."

"Why would you want to train kids?"

"I dunno. I guess because I want them to be prepared for anything."

She hummed in response. They fell into another silence. Waiters walked back and forth with steaming cups of coffee, giving it to other customers.

Annabeth watched him. He had grown so much over the years. He had lost that young and innocent look, and he had replaced it with a cool, mature face. He still had that easy-going smile and the green eyes that reflected childishness.

"Percy…" Her voice cracked. She winced. She was supposed to be strong.

"Yeah?"

"I… I'm sorry… for… you know… that night." She whispered, swallowing her pride. Her hands gripped the cup and her eyes were trained on the dark liquid. She didn't want to look at him.

"I know." He sighed. "I know. I'm sorry too."

"I missed you. You were, are, my best friend and.. I realised how much… how much I lost when I left you." Her eyes stung with unshed tears. She blinked them back furiously. What was wrong with her. Crying was for the weak.

"Annabeth. Annabeth, look at me." Percy said. His hand rested on the table, close to hers. She tore her gaze from the coffee and slowly looked up to meet his eyes. "I know we had it bad before, but I moved on from that."

She opened her mouth to reply but he cut her off, "I don't blame you. It was rough. We both were going through tough situations. I forgive you, Wise Girl. I forgave you ages ago."

This was why she hated him. She could never stay mad at him because… he had already forgiven her. Forgiven her for calling the quits. Putting an end to their three year relationship. How could she have been so stupid? Did she really think that by doing that, everything was going to work out?

Every night, she would stay awake wondering if she had made the right choice, and every night she would fall asleep only because of exhaustion. The first week, she had missed him like crazy. She felt empty and hollow, but she kept herself busy with work. But sitting in front of him now, she knew she had never gotten over him. He was that kind of person. He wasn't the kind of person you could forget. Ever.

She knew that. When his birthday came by, she had stared off into space, her phone in one hand. She didn't call him. Instead, she thought about all the beautiful times they spent with each other. The happier times. The memories that refused to be deleted. Moments she desperately wanted to forget because it hurt.

She still loved him. That was the truth.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked worriedly. She shook herself out of daze and glanced around her. Right. Café. Percy. Apology. It was then she realised she was shaking. She brought her hands around her arms and started rubbing them, trying to create warmth. She was wearing a winter coat, yet she was shaking. She suspected not all of it was from the cold.

"Sorry. Lost in my mind for a sec." she said offering him a small smile.

He laughed. "Only you."

Two simple words and it was like magic. He had managed to break the ice that had formed around them over time. He had yet again knocked down her walls she spent so long putting up. Always him.

They spent the next two hours talking. Catching up about what they had been up to in the last couple of years. About camp. About her twin brothers. About Sally and Paul. Anything and everything.

She loved to hear him talk, even if half the things that came out of his mouth was idiotic. But with a fond smile, she listened to him animatedly talk about his little sister. She was already five years old, with an unhealthy obsession with magic. Mortal magic, he said. Magic tricks, card tricks, illusions that made people appreciate small things. Made people feel wonder and make people smile.

After a while, she noticed how dark the sky had become. The last of the sun light sunk below the horizon. Cursing, she began packing her books, shoving them in her bag. She adjusted the scarf again. Percy stood up as well.

"Let me walk you home."

She protested. She didn't want to be a bother. He didn't listen. Somehow, he had turned deaf. That idiot.

They walked down the streets, side by side, almost touching but not quite. She didn't mind. She was with him again. She never realised how much he had impacted her life. She wasn't going to let him get away that easily again. Never again.

She had missed his tanned skin. His sweet smile. His hands. His beautiful eyes. His laugh. Everything.

Somehow, they made it to her front door. He smiled down at her, pushing strands of her hair out of her face.

"Tonight was fun. It was nice to see you again." Percy said.

She nodded in agreement, "Me too. I… thanks for stopping to talk to me."

He leaned against the wall casually. "You're my best friend. "

Suddenly, she found her boots more interesting than his face. How was she supposed to respond to that? _Best friend, not girlfriend_. Why did she ever let him go? Better question: Why did she ever leave him? It was stupid. Probably her worst mistake. Yet he had forgiven her.

She never noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks until he brought his hand to her face and wiped them off. "It's okay…" he murmured.

Then dam broke.

She stumbled into his arms and held him. She buried her head into his chest and clutched at him. He stroked her hair, her bag forgotten on the floor.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" she whispered brokenly.

He remained quiet and rested his chin on top of her head. One hand wrapped around her waist while the other rubbed her back reassuringly.

"I'm not leaving you anytime soon." Percy said softly, "If that's okay with you."

"Yes. Yes." She gazed into his eyes. "Don't leave me. I know I sound like an Aphrodite kid, but the last couple of years have been horrible without you. You're my best friend, yet, you were never there. I know I made mistakes, but I want to make things right."

"We both made mistakes. You just need to accept and move on. I'm sure we can figure it all out again. We survived wars, Annabeth. Wars! We can survive this little hiccup."

"How do you know to say the right things?"

"I don't. I just make it up as I go along."

She snorted, wiping the tears from her face, "You're such a Seaweed Brain."

Annabeth froze, her mouth parted slightly. The words had tumbled out without a second thought. It almost sounded foreign to her ears. _Seaweed Brain_. When had she last said it?

"Haven't heard that name in a long time." Percy said breaking her thoughts.

"I haven't said that in a long time either." She answered.

He grinned at her. She finally smiled back and stepped away, her hands finding its way into the pockets of her jacket. She looked out to the twinkling lights down in the city. The view from here was amazing sometimes.

But there was one thought that refused to leave her. It was taunting her all evening. And she hated not knowing. "How was your date?" Annabeth asked, almost bitterly.

Percy jerked back as if he was shocked with electricity. "H-How? How did you know?"

So her suspicions were true. Her heart clenched painfully. "I could smell the perfume. Only girls wear that kind of perfume, Percy. That means you were close to her. Probably hugging her… But it was enough for it to get onto your clothes. Besides," she glanced at him, "there's a bit of gloss on your lips."

Instinctively, he brought his fingers to his mouth. "What if it was oil?"

"That brings me to the other point. You didn't order anything. Normally, you would eat a lot, as if you had a black hole as a stomach."

"Hey! I don't have a black hole!" he protested, "Maybe I wasn't hungry."

"Exactly."

Percy blinked. He cursed under his breath. "You're too smart for your own good sometimes."

"Daughter of Athena." She reminded him.

He chuckled. "How could I forget. But yeah. I was on a date with my girlfriend."

Her shoulders sagged. "Girlfriend, huh." _A girlfriend?_

"Yeah. Um. We started dating about a year ago."

"Oh. I hope she treats you well." _Better than I treated you._

"She's good. Amazing, really. Keeps me in line. Tells me if my ego gets too big." He smiled fondly.

"That's good to hear." Her voice was starting to waver. Again. This was her fault. This all happened because of her. Of course he was going to move on. He told her that just before, didn't he?

Percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I have to get going now."

"Oh. Okay." She bit her lip. What was she supposed to say?

"I'll see you around?" he said, uncertainly. He stuck his hands back in his pockets. Her heart pounded in her chest. This was how it ended last time.

He had brought the roses. She had screamed at him. He had placed the flowers on the ground, next to the door. She had yelled and slammed the door in his face. The roses wilted. She couldn't remember what they had fought about, but it had been the end.

She brushed those thoughts away. That was then. This is now. A new beginning. One more chance. "Yeah… That would be nice." She said softly.

He shuffled his feet and gave her a crooked grin. "I missed ya. See you around, Annabeth."

She almost blushed. Almost but not quite. "Yeah… Bye…"

Percy walked away. He paused at the end of the hallway and looked back. He chuckled and waved.

And he was gone.

Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe there was still a chance for her. She knew he wasn't _in_ love with her, but maybe there was a chance that he loved her. But he wasn't hers anymore. That girl had his heart. _What a lucky girl_.

She just wished that she could have loved him harder, held him closer, treated him better. But, it was going to be fine. She was still his best friend. There was no question about that. He had missed her and she had missed him. They were both too stubborn to do anything about it until it was almost too late. But they would work it out. They always did in the end.

So when Annabeth saw him a week later with his girlfriend, she smiled and made up her mind. They say that if you love someone enough, you can let them go.

And that's what she did.

She let him go.

* * *

 **AN - I don't know where this came from. All I know is that I was thinking about a somewhat realistic relationship between Annabeth and Percy. Don't get me wrong, I love Percabeth, but this just looked at one possibility. This was inspired by Taylor Swift's song,** _ **'Back to December'**_ **. Reviews and criticism welcome and appreciated.**


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